YinTx

Finished up a couple of custom orders... still not happy with the way my keepers sit between the layers... but otherwise, came out ok. Enjoy. YinTx

So far, the smallest item I've made other than zipper pulls... finally got up enough nerve to attempt a watch strap.... custom made for a very small wrist... and a tiny watch. My pinky is bigger than these straps! The 432 Fil Au Chinois is a bit too thick for this application, but... the recipient seems really really happy, so thats what matters... YinTx

Any ideas on what you can use as a resist if you don't like the plasticy/shiny look of resolene or clear-lac? YinTx

heh, tiny T-slots I suppose. 9spi makes the top of the hat just over an inch...you been making wallets lately? when you do something too often, everything starts to look the same.... I hadn't expected hand stitching something could be so challenging, but a double circle and lots of corners on something this small...it was good practice for sure! Thanks for the compliment, biker... YinTx

She cut and glued, I stitched. Came out alright I think... YinTx

Ya, that was an unexpected transaction, the Horween. Live and learn, anyhow. I still have a lot of wax left, but I've been keeping my eye out for a source when I do run out, so I'll keep you on my radar. Were you able to learn anything from the bee keep? YinTx

This was veg tan, so even though it was pretty thin, I felt it still needed to be wet to get a good fold out of it. I did let it dry for a day between wet/fold and glue/stitch. Also, did not use contact cement on this one, I used the white leather glue, which I think may be water based, not sure. YinTx

Oh yeah, and that 10spi takes forever and a day.. what is the purpose of 12spi? Can't imagine where that would even be useful...anyone know? YinTx

Brian, Awesome share, thank you so much! It may be a while before I attempt another, but when I do I will definitely put your info to good use. So is the line marking machine just putting a line along the edge of the leather, or is it cutting it straight as well? Mine was straight before I folded it, and when it had to go over the multiple thicknesses, it ended up getting not so straight. Compounded by having to do that last fold with the bifold in a nearly shut position (folded in half) to position the pocket tops where they should be (which was a major fail... It pulled out from under the wrap, resulting in being missed when I stitched the last stitch... arghhh!). I wanted to trim the last fold straight, but was afraid i would cut into the leather below...also I missed that last skive on the 45 degree corner cut.. didn't occur to me to do it, so I see it on the wallet. Other trouble I ran into is when I wet the veg tan to make the fold, along the fold line, the whole piece warped, so all my nice square cuts were for naught. YinTx

Brian, As WedgeTail said, it's back to the drawing board on this one for me. It was a challenging piece for me to make, and ended up with a couple of "fatal flaws." I could see making a few more and perfecting it, but I fail to see a market that would support the effort, since there are sooooo many wallets for sale in every clothing store you could imagine. Now, I'm all for learning and improving myself, so from that perspective, I might consider doing it again. I'm trying to visualize what you are saying, but sadly I don't know what a keysteel is, nor do I know what a roller line marker is. I'd google it, but I suspect I might not come up with your concept. Would you mind expressing your instructions with some photos? I would greatly appreciate it. YinTx

Not really a burgundy. Its several colors, but primarily red with some browns blended. Hard to illustrate with photos, which don't do the color justice. The dark browns tend to highlight distresses in the leather, the reds make it pop. It morphs depending on the light, more dark burgundy/maroon in the low lights, reds in the sunlight. It isn't easy is impossible to do it consistently, so I rarely show it to folks, because when they see it thats the color they want lol. I can't blame them, it really is neat in person, and I tend to do it for things I will keep myself, like this wallet. It looks good with a variety of thread colors, but I have tended to use creams, and in this case, black. YinTx

YinTx

So, I had these extra bits of very thin Hermann Oak leather that I didn't want to just toss in the bin. I have always wanted to try my hand at a nice bifold pocket wallet with turned edges, and ribbon pockets... so I thought what the heck, I'll give it a go. Here's the result...not the silk purse I had quite pictured in my mind's eye, but useable. A lot of little errors that sum up to a not perfect item, but I learned a lot. I think I might not ever make another one either... this was a pain in the rear! At least not unless someone offered me the right amount of $$, and I don't see that happening, since this didn't turn out so awesome.... Technical details: my own blend of fiebeng's dyes... 35/3 Coats Barbour linen thread, hand stitched at 10 spi, Hermann Oak Leather 1 to 2 oz, batik hand dyed cloth liner. difficulties with uploads.. apparently 187kb exceeds the size limits.... YinTx

Alex, Thank you kindly for your compliments. As far as the tools shown in that particular photo, I purchased them off of Ebay, search for "European style stitching chisel." Other irons I have and use are mentioned in the gallery: Hope that helps! YinTx

I've been looking for a good source of clean local (USA) beeswax. Yours looks pretty dark in the photo... is it brood wax with a lot of propolis? and how much does each pile weigh? Thanks in advance, YinTx

The middle tool in the photos I show is a CS Osborne 133, just like the one that Bruce is showing in his video. I like what it does, but it needs to be rescued. Anyone know the best way to recover the damaged edge? YinTx p.s., its not an issue of sharpening, more like reshaping if you look closely at the opening, it is uneven. YinTx

Oh my goodness, I can't believe no one has answered this one! While I haven't done one yet, I plan to, and in fact have started. I think there are a couple of ways, here is one (not my preferred, but it works as you can see) and another, with an upclose of the corners in construction: and finally, the method I think I'll be trying, which has an angled miter: Hope this helps! YinTx

Man, these are amazing. I love looking at your works. Not just the tooling, but your ability to use colors and the craftsmanship is outstanding... I sure hope you get really good money for these works of art, you certainly deserve it. YinTx

**** Furniture sells this crappy stuff. They have trademarked it "durablend." They used to call it Durablend leather, now they have taken to calling it Durablend Upholstery. If you look into consumer affairs and online reviews, you will see they have managed to earn 1 star out of 5, amazing they are still in business. The sales folks even have a bad habit of claiming the material is "all leather" or "real leather." Even their own extended warranty does not cover the leather from peeling, because it will and it does, just like the photo. The material is 57% polyurethane, 26% poly/cotton, and 17% leather. I can't tell you how many times this has lead to people asking me if I can re-cover their couch. Most of the time, when I tell them it would cost thousands to do that, they walk away. One customer has not... so apparently I need to learn to do upholstery leather. Any suggestions on what the best leather types/brands are for this? YinTx

"Somethin wrong here I'm starting to think I want one." That right there is an awesome complement! Thanks for that! I could tell you the sales price and cure you.... or at least then you'd make one yourself. Appreciate all the positive complements and suggestions, everyone. I'm off to make the next batch... YinTx

I have been using the Tandy edge beveler, but I have not been very happy with it since it just makes a squared off edge now with two corners to sand smooth. I came across these other two bevelers in the pile of old tools I had bought, but they are in pretty rough shape. My impression, right or wrong, is that these will cut a rounded corner, instead of a chamfered bevel. But one appears to have been cut through on the business edge, likely by oversharpening with a rouge loaded thread, and the other is pitted pretty bad. My question is, can these be saved, or do I have to go get another $40 tool for each weight of leather I work with? and if these don't cut a rounded edge, can someone tell me what will? Thanks much! YinTx

It's still only the 9th. And since no one does free anymore, maybe folks are paranoid? Donno, maybe everyone has a sack o snaps already... YinTx

I honestly don't know myself, thats why I was asking.... YinTx

" I believe w&c and Hermann Oak are the only domestic tanneries left." SB Foot? Tennessee Tanning Company? Sunderland Leather? Thiele Tanning? I think there are others, but I haven't looked into it. Are these not still in business? YinTx